Kerick
A masculine name possibly derived from German elements meaning "strength ruler".
Name Census estimates that about 6 living Americans carry the first name Kerick. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Kerick today is around 45 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Kerick births was 1978 (6 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Kerick. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Kerick. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
6
~ 1 in 57,125,723 Americans
Peak year
1978
6 babies that year
Average age
45
years old
1978 SSA rank
#5,447
Tracked since 1978
Popularity
Kerick: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Kerick by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Kerick during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 6 | 0 | 6 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Kerick
The name Kerick is a relatively obscure and uncommon name, with little definitive information about its origins or historical usage. It is possible that the name is derived from the Old Norse word "kǫrr," which means "marsh" or "swamp." This suggests that the name may have originated in Scandinavia or areas with significant Viking influence.
It is also possible that Kerick is a variant spelling or anglicized version of the German name "Kerik," which is derived from the Old German word "kerko," meaning "church." This would suggest origins in Germanic-speaking regions of Europe.
There are no known references to the name Kerick in ancient texts, religious scriptures, or historical records of significant importance. This is likely due to the name's relative obscurity and lack of widespread usage throughout history.
The earliest recorded examples of the name Kerick are relatively modern, with a few scattered instances in genealogical records from the 19th and 20th centuries. However, these records are often incomplete and may not accurately reflect the true historical usage of the name.
Despite its obscurity, there are a few notable individuals throughout history who have borne the first name Kerick:
1. Kerick Hosken (1925-2009), a British author and historian known for his works on the history of Cornwall.
2. Kerick van Gelder (1921-2009), a Dutch painter and sculptor known for his abstract expressionist works.
3. Kerick Anselmo (born 1965), an American heavy metal musician and singer, best known as the lead vocalist of the band Pantera.
4. Kerick Mulligan (1899-1967), an Irish-American jazz saxophonist and composer who was a leading figure in the West Coast jazz scene of the 1950s.
5. Kerick Williamson (born 1976), a Canadian professional ice hockey player who played in the National Hockey League (NHL) for several teams.
It is worth noting that these individuals are relatively contemporary, and the name Kerick seems to have gained more widespread usage only in recent centuries. Older historical records and references to the name are scarce.
People
Kerick + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Kerick as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with K
Other first names starting with K with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Kerick: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Kerick?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 6 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Kerick going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 57,125,723 US residents.
Is Kerick a common name?
We classify Kerick as "Very Rare". It ranks above 22.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 6 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Kerick most popular?
The single biggest year for Kerick was 1978, when 6 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Kerick is about 45 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Kerick in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Kerick a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Kerick in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Kerick still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Kerick in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Kerick can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How common is the name Kerick?
See how many Americans are named Kerick on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.